Clockwise from
above: Saadiyat
Beach Club;
Odessa Francisco
greets guests at
Jumeirah at
Etihad Towers;
outdoor dining
at Frangipani on
Zaya Nurai Island;
Louvre Abu
Dhabi; the fish
souk at Mina
Zayed market.Arabian medina, with a matrix of white-washed walls
topped by an eight-layer silver dome creating a palm-
frond filigree effect – a glorious “rain of light” that
alone is worth the price of admission. Saadiyat Island;
+971 600 565566; louvreabudhabi.ae; open every day
except Monday.Observation Deck at 300
It’s high tea at high altitude – 300 metres above
the ground, to be precise – at Etihad Tower number
two, the third-tallest building in Abu Dhabi. After an
ear-popping lift ride to the 74th floor, take a 360-degree
twirl around the room to survey the city (use a telescope
to zoom in on the jaw-dropping splendour of the
newly built Presidential Palace, which isn’t open
to the public). An elegant high tea is presented on
three-tiered silver platters bedecked with colourful
mini-pastries. Tea, or Champagne cocktail? That’s your
choice, but undeniably the best time to visit is at sunset.
Tower 2, Level 74, Jumeirah Hotel, Etihad Towers,
West Corniche; +971 2 811 5666; jumeirah.comDO
The Galleria
The air-conditioned shopping mall is king in
the UAE, thanks in no small part to notoriously
hot summers during which the mercury can pass
50 degrees. The Galleria, located on the bijou Al
Maryah Island to the west of Saadiyat Island, sits at the
top of the retail food chain in Abu Dhabi, with the
biggest names in world fashion jostling for attention
across two waterfront-hugging levels. For an aprés-
shop pit stop, head to the terrace at modern Peruvian
restaurant Coya for sea-bream ceviche brightened
with aji amarillo. Al Falah Street, Al Maryah Island;
+971 2 616 6999; thegalleria.aeZaya Nurai Island
Could this be the ultimate Persian Gulf island
experience? A 10-minute speedboat ride from Saadiyat
Island drops guests on the sandy wonderland of Zaya
Nurai Island, where 32 villas grace a perfect crescent
of beach, each with a plunge pool and a daybed built for
two. Larger villas, for groups or families, dot the other
side of the island. A pair of bicycles parked outside each
villa are for island exploration – use those wheels to
hit the Smokin’ Pineapple beach bar, where decking
strewn with cushions is the ideal place to lounge with
a Caipirinha in hand, and rope swings and hammocks
dangle in the water ready for Instagram posing. Eating
options include wood-fired pizze at Smokin’ Pineapple,
local seafood at Hooked, modern Mexican at Dusk
and international fare at Frangipani. Zaya Nurai Island;
+971 2 506 6222; zayanuraiisland.comSEE
Louvre Abu Dhabi
The catchcry of the new Abu Dhabi could well be
“art, not oil” as the UAE government diligently
diversifies its interests into culture. Opened late last
year, the Louvre’s first foreign outpost (the partnership
alone came at a cost of $1.5 billion) is the jewel in the
crown of the nascent Saadiyat Island arts precinct.
The Louvre’s collection is enough to induce Stendhal
syndrome, with more than 600 works – many on loan
from French institutions – telling the story of shared
human experience from ancient times. The Louvre
Paris has the Mona Lisa but Abu Dhabi has da Vinci’s
Salvator Mundi, bought last year for a staggering
$591 million, making it the most expensive painting
in the world. The building by Pritzker-winning French
architect Jean Nouvel is the other star of the show. His
build-it-and-they-will-come museum is a play on an140 GOURMET TRAVELLER